We’d like to hear from you, readers, about your pick for the best film of 2014. Fill out the form below with your choice and why it deserves to win. We’ll feature some readers’ responses on WSJ.com. Read More »

It’s an Oscar tradition to try to guess the most award winners correctly. We took the traditional Oscar pool to the next level by having a Wall Street Journal Oscar pool, allowing readers around the world to compete against each other in our ballot contest.

We received a total of 1,452 completed Oscar ballots from readers via Twitter and email. Since some people submitted multiple guesses, there were 1,243 unique participants. Of those, 18 readers correctly guessed the winners in all 10 major categories.

The most difficult category appeared to be Best Original Song, which only 31% of readers got right. The winner was “Let it Go” from the movie Frozen. Incidentally, 73% of readers correctly guessed that Frozen would win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature – the highest percentage of any category. Read More »

Think you can guess which films will take home Academy Awards? Here’s your chance. We’ve created an interactive Oscar ballot that allows you to submit and share your predictions. We’ll compare your answers with the actual winners announced at the Academy Awards on March 2. The readers who guess the most winners correctly will be featured in a WSJ.com blog post. Think of it as a world-wide Oscar pool.

To enter, fill out your Oscar ballot with the movies you predict will win. Then e-mail or tweet us your completed form with the hashtag #Oscarballot. We’ll accept submissions until shortly before the Academy Awards ceremony begins on Sunday, March 2.

We want to know what you think. Which 2013 film do you think deserves to win Best Picture? Share your opinion below or tell us on Twitter with the hashtag #myOscarpick. In your comment, please explain why you think your choice is the best movie of 2013. We’ll include some of the best responses in a WSJ.com blog post. Read More »

The 49-year-old chef, one of Sweden’s culinary heavyweights, has spent the past decade pitching in as one of two gastronomical advisers to the Nobel Foundation.

In his current role, Eriksson helps oversee menu selection for one of the world’s most famous dinners – the Nobel banquet (he was a student chef for the event 33 years ago, and has served as head chef).

His role as adviser includes picking alcohol that won’t lead to guests getting too “sloshed” and not picking bread that has so much flour on it that could mark up elegant evening gowns.

Set for Tuesday night in Stockholm’s massive Blue Hall (which is located in City Hall ), the banquet follows the annual prize ceremony and is attended by nearly 1,300 people who abide by a set of traditions. Men, for instance, must dress in tails. Cell phones are not allowed.

Sweden’s royal family attends, as do many of the nation’s top politicians and CEOs. However, the Sweden Democrat party, known for being tough on immigration, never makes the guest list. Read More »

Over the holiday weekend, two Hollywood guilds — the American Cinema Editors (ACE) and the Art Directors Guild (ADG) — held their annual awards ceremony touting their year’s best. The latter group presented first, announcing the winners of the 14th Annual Excellence in 2009 Production Design awards in nine categories (spanning not just film, but also tv, commercials and music videos) on Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. In the film categories, “The Hurt Locker,” “Avatar,” and “Sherlock Holmes” all won awards in their respective categories of contemporary, fantasy and period film.

One evening later, on Valentine’s Day, the 60th Annual ACE Eddie Awards were also presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Within film categories, “The Hurt Locker” and “The Hangover” picked up awards for Best Edited Feature Film Dramatic and Comedy or Musical, while “Up” and “The Cove” won awards for Best Edited Animated Feature Film and Documentary.Read More »

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.